T-12 antitank gun
2A19 or T-12 is a Soviet smoothbore 100-mm anti-tank gun, which served as the main Eastern Bloc towed anti-tank gun from 1955 until the late 1980s. History The T-12 entered service in 1955, replacing the BS-3 100 mm field gun. It was typically deployed in anti-tank units of armoured and motor rifle regiments to protect flanks against counter-attacks during rapid advances. In 1970 it was replaced in production by the T-12A or MT-12 "Rapira" which features a new smooth bore gun, the 100 mm 2A29 gun, as well as a redesigned carriage and gun-shield to protect the crew from machine gun fire and shell splinters. Thanks to the redesigned carriage with bigger wheel base, the MT-12 can be towed by the MT-LB, at speeds up to 60 km/h on road or 25 km/h cross-country. The 2A29R "Ruta" or MT-12R is a version with a RLPK-1 radar for engaging targets in a poor visibility environment (smoke/fog). From 1981 the gun could fire laser beam-riding guided missiles 9M117 Kastet (weapon system 9K116) and carried the new designator 2A29K "Kastet" or MT-12K. The weapon was planned to be superseded by the 2A45 Sprut-B 125 mm smooth bore anti-tank gun. Modern western tanks' frontal armour protection is far in excess of what can be penetrated by a 100 mm gun – even using the most modern APFSDS round. For a tank that can manoeuvre to take advantage of the enemy's weaknesses this is less of a problem – but for a weapon that is primarily defensive this is a serious problem. Today the T-12 is applied mostly in the role of ordinary artillery, using FRAG-HE shells. Description The gun requires a crew of six: commander, driver of the towing vehicle, gun layer, loader, and two ammunition crewmen. When the MT-LB is used as the transporter, twenty rounds are typically carried (10 APFSDS, 4 HE-Frag, 6 HEAT). Since the weapon is a smoothbore, all the ammunition is finned for accuracy during flight. The standard equipment consists of the panoramic sight PG-1M for indirect fire, and an OP4M-40U telescope for direct fire. The APN-5-40 or APN-6-40 are used for direct fire by night. The gun can be fitted with the LO-7 ski gear for travel across snow or swampy ground. Ammunition APFSDS ;3BM-2 APFSDS-T Tungsten *Round weight: 19.34 kg (42.6 lb) *Projectile weight: 5.65 kg (12.5 lb) *Muzzle velocity: 1,575 m/s (5,170 ft/s) *Maximum range: 3,000 m (3,300 yd) *Penetration: **230 mm at 500 m (9 in at 550 yd) **180 mm at 2,000 m (7 in at 2,200 yd) **140 mm at 3,000 m (5.5 in at 3,300 yd) ;3BM23/3UBM10 APFSDS *Round weight: 19.9 kg (44 lb) *Projectile weight: 10 lb (4.5 kg) *Muzzle velocity: 1,548 m/s (5,080 ft/s) HEAT ;3BK16M/3UBK8 *Round weight: 23.1 kg (51 lb) *Projectile weight: 9.5 kg (21 lb) *Muzzle velocity: 975 m/s (3,200 ft/s) *Penetration: 350 mm (14 in) HE-FRAG ;3OF12/3OF35 *Round weight: 28.9 kg (64 lb) *Projectile weight: 16.7 kg (37 lb) *Muzzle velocity: 700 m/s (2,300 ft/s) *Maximum range (indirect): 8,200 m (9,000 yd) Guided projectile ;3UBK-12 Kastet 9K117/3UBK10M Beam riding laser guided projectile. *Round weight: 24.5 kg (54 lb) *Projectile weight: 18.4 kg (41 lb) *Average speed: 300 m/s (980 ft/s) *Range: 100–5,000 m (110–5,500 yd) *Penetration: 550–600 mm (22–24 in) Variants Romania *'A407' - This artillery system was designed by Arsenal-Resita and is very similar to the MT-12. It can fire the same range of ammunition as the T-54/55 tank and has a maximum range of 2,200 m (HEAT) or 4,000 m (APC-T). Subversions are the A407M1 and the A407M2. In Romanian Army service, the A407 is known as the 100 mm anti-tank gun M1977 (Romanian: Tun antitanc calibrul 100-mm Model 1977) and is normally towed by the DAC 887R truck. The Model 2002 is an improved version, fitted with the automatic fire control system TAT-100. People's Republic of China *'Type 73' - This appears to be a copy of the Soviet T-12. *'Type 86' - This is a 100mm smoothbore anti-tank gun that has some similarities with the 85mm Type 56 (D-44). It fires ammunition of the fixed type, including the Type 73 HE, Type 73 HEAT, Type 73 APFSDS and Type 86 APFSDS to a maximum range of 1,800 m. Category:Weapons Category:Soviet Army Category:Soviet Military